This invention relates to a method of preparing a starting material for the subsequent manufacture of a finished product, from a feedstock comprising substantially dry finely divided lignocellulosic fibres, or exfoliated vermiculite particles, or expanded perlite particles, and to a process of preparing a finished product therefrom.
Lignocellulosic composite board products, either in flat or shaped form, manufactured from chips, particles, fibres, veneers, flakes or strands of natural fibrous plant materials such as agri fibres or wood, are well known and are currently made by a number of different methods. Such products are commonly bound by formaldehyde condensation resins such as the ureas, melamines and phenolics, or the polyureas or isocyanates. Despite the success of such lignocellulosic composite board products, there is always a need for new types of products, and in particular for products made from new types of feed material.
The material rejected in the mechanical cleaning of recovered paper is probably in the region of ten million tons globally based on 1995 figures and a 91% yield. The recycling of paper waste is rapidly falling behind demand for waste disposal. There is clearly a need for the utilisation of these materials but process difficulties have arisen. One is the presence of minerals in these materials, accounting for as high a proportion as 50% of the sludges and another is the difficulty in processing to make good quality products.
The present invention seeks to utilise the sludges, as well as other feedstocks such as medium density fibre, for the production of useful products.